this is bbc news. these are the latest headlines in the uk and around the world. european union ambassadors get details of a post—brexit trade deal in a christmas day briefing led by michel barnier. the queen will reflect on the hardships of the pandemic in her christmas speech later as she and prince philip break tradition by staying in windsor. pope francis gives his christmas day address — urging all nations to share covid—19 vaccines and calling for peace in war—torn regions thousands of lorry drivers are spending christmas day in their cabs near dover as 800 military personnel continue to test stranded hauliers.

hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. after an historic brexit trade deal, the european union's chief negotiator, michel barnier, has been briefing ambassadors from the 27 member countries on the details. the document setting out the deal runs to over 1,200 pages. the prime minister — who was in downing street yesterday when the deal was confirmed — has also received a copy. here's our political correspondent leila nathoo. i have a small present for anyone who may be looking for something to read in that sleepy post—christmas lunch moment, and here it is... tidings, glad tidings of greatjoy, because this is a deal.

some light reading. the post—brexit deal agreed yesterday between britain and the eu runs to more than 1,200 pages. this morning, the man who negotiated it for the eu side, michel barnier, briefed ambassadors of eu member states on its details. mission accomplished. what's in that blue folder sets out how the eu and uk will trade and co—operate from the new year — to finally have something on paper is a success for both sides. the deal was done in the nick of time with the uk already out of the eu and transition arrangements expiring within days. mps and peers will have until wednesday to digest the detail before being called back to parliament for a debate. there are unlikely to be any hold—ups in westminster, though — labour is set to back it. we will certainly be better off with this deal, and we have to make it work. no deal would have terrible consequences for our country, and the labour party could not

enable that to happen. during the long months of negotiations, both sides seemed determined not to give ground. what is now on the table is a compromise, but those who campaigned for brexit have broadly given the deal thumbs up. if the contents are as described by the prime minister, then i think it is a very satisfactory outcome, and actually a very good one, given the rather bum hand he had been dealt when he took over from theresa may. britain's new relationship with brussels is now more defined. eu ambassadors are weighing up how the future looks with the uk on the outside. the deal will need time to play out in practice, but both sides will be relieved it was, against the odds, done. leila nathoo, bbc news.

thousands of lorry drivers are spending christmas day in their cabs near dover. an extra 800 military personnel are being deployed to help clear the backlog of lorries waiting to cross the channel. 0ur correspondent frankie mccamley is in the port of dover for us this morning — she said a little earlier that while things are now moving, it could take a long time for the tailback to clear. for many of us this isn't the christmas we hoped we would have, but spare a thought for these drivers who have been stuck some for four nights here, queueing to try and get on the ferries going across the channel to france, now if you look behind me you will be able to see we have movement. some of these lorries are moving, they are slowly but surely being loaded on to ferries this morning, to make their way across the channel. now port staff have been working through christmas, throughout the night, to try and get this moving, to try and see those scene, all of the lorries you can see will have tested negative for coronavirus and in order to get those tests there has

been a huge wait in store last night round 800 troops were drafted here to try and speed up the process and that seems to be the case, because just over here, as we head into central dover, a lot of the roads seem central dover, a lot of the roads seem to have cleared. but there is still a big backlog, there are thousands of hauliers still parked up thousands of hauliers still parked up at manston airport, still parked up up at manston airport, still parked up along the m20 this morning, there is still a long wait in store for some, andi is still a long wait in store for some, and i don't want to be the bearer of bad news on christmas, but some of these lorry drivers will not be making it home in time for christmas and it is going to be some time before things here get back to some kind of normality. it is interesting among the groups brought in to try to help the lorry drivers a bunch of medics from poland who came to provide testing. to provide testing. the queen is expected to focus on the effects of the pandemic in her christmas broadcast this afternoon.

for the first time in more than 30 years, she and the duke of edinburgh are spending the festive period at windsor — instead of sandringham. 0ur royal correspondent daniela relph is at windsor castle. you have also been deprived there for of the pictures of queen arriving for a church service, the queues of small children delivering posies and presents to the monarch, and the usual excitement. is there anything happening, are people aware even the visitors in windsor that the queen is still in residence?” think some of them obviously will. they will be able to tell by the flag pefr the castle she is in residence here but there isn't much going on, and that is exactly what the palace wants, they did not want people turning out today, in the hope they might see the queen, and they had said early on, at the begin of the month this would be a private christmas, just the duke of edinburgh and the queen here, there

wouldn't be any public sightings of the queen so it would be different the queen so it would be different the kind of christmas we are used to seeing up at sandringham in norfolk. but they made it very clear there would be no public sighting of the queen and they wanted people to stay away, that was the point of their not be a big royal grand public christmas, they wanted people to stay away, and the queen is having this private christmas here, at windsor castle in what officials say will be a quiet day for her and the duke of edinburgh. this has not been a great yearfor duke of edinburgh. this has not been a great year for anybody, duke of edinburgh. this has not been a great yearfor anybody, but duke of edinburgh. this has not been a great year for anybody, but it has been a particularly awkward year for the royal family with the departure of meghan and prince harry and the allegation against prince andrew, we don't have any idea whether or not she will mention those during the speech? i think it is highly unlikely to be honest that those particular issues which have been so contentious, so difficult, so personalfor

contentious, so difficult, so personal for the contentious, so difficult, so personalfor the queen contentious, so difficult, so personal for the queen this year, it i think it is unlike will i think that will come up during the queen's christmas message, it is not something she would normally raise during her christmas message, something that is a personal challenge for her, it is much more likely to deal with the broader challenges that the country and the commonwealth have faced over the past few months, particularly of course around the challenges presented by dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, so i think we can expect her to deal with some of those particular issues around that area, like we saw in april when she made this address to the nation at the beginning of the uk lockdown, where she talked about how difficult things have been and looked ahead and talk about we'll meet again, i think that will also be a thread within her message today, that yes, she will want to address the difficulty, the problems and the sadness this year has presented but she will also want to offer some kind of note of optimism and hope, as we go into 2021. you have alluded

there, daniella to the unique status there, daniella to the unique status the queen now has in british national life, some of which coming from being the longest ever serving british monarch, how conscious do you think they are in the palace at such a time of the uncertainty and disruption, in a sense she has a, she has a kind of a role asjust somebody who hasn't changed or does not appear to change, and a constant ata time not appear to change, and a constant at a time of great incon—stan psi for the country —— incon—stan psi for the country —— incon—stan psi for the country —— incon—stan psi for the country. that has been on their mind since the queen effectively went into isolation in march, here in windsor, when the lockdown began. she is someone that likes to lead by example, she likes to set an example, and as you say, there is something to be said isn't there is something to be said isn't there in this particular situation of somebody who seen as so steady and sensible and reliable, at a time of crisis, and that speech she made at the beginning of lockdown in

april was seen very much to be perfectly pitched to match the mood of the nation at the time, which was one where people were struggling to deal with what was happening, and the changes to their every day life, but to always give that sort of sense of hope going forward and she very much wanted to write that herself and pitch that in that way, at that point, and she is someone who is very conscious, as are the officials and the team around her, officials and the team around her, of her place in public life, and in this particular situation, she will very much be wanting to be seen as a leader, particularly with the current status of things and how difficult so many people and so many families are finding things at the moment. thank you very much. thank you very much. religious leaders have used their christmas messages to reflect on the darkness brought by the coronavirus. they've also been speaking about the many selfless and heroic responses to the pandemic. here's nicholas witchell.

a day for reflection on a difficult year. at the vatican in rome, pope francis attended a christmas eve mass in st peter's basilica — timed so that the very limited number of participants could be home in time for the 10pm curfew. in his homily, he said jesus was born an outcast, and he urged communities to do more to help the poor and the needy. westminster cathedral in london was empty for midnight mass — the service was delivered online instead. earlier, a small socially distanced congregation had heard cardinal vincent nichols, leader of the roman catholic church in england and wales, speak about the heart—warming way in which people had responded to the pandemic. have we not seen in these months of difficulty being marked by countless acts of random

kindness, quiet heroism, selfless service, remarkable community efforts, all directed to those most in need? at canterbury cathedral, the leader of the anglican church, archbishop justin welby, also reflected on what the pandemic had taken, and what it had shown us. in this christmas of absence, mourning and restrictions of all kinds, are there any gifts of good news under the tree? any gifts of hope? well, there are many. the vaccine is a gift of hope. 0ur sense of community and mutual care has changed so much — that is a gift of hope. from religious leaders the world over, messages of hope, of light in the darkness. nicholas witchell, bbc news.

well, as you heard there, pope francis has delivered his christmas adress from the apostolic palace in the vatican city instead of st peter's square, and his speech was streamed online, due to covid restrictions. 0ur rome correspondent mark lowen has been following the story. this time last year, there were 50,000 people in saint pete ears square watching the pope's christmas urbiet square watching the pope's christmas urbi et 0rbi to the world from the balcony of st peter's basilica, this year the square is completely cordoned off by police, we are in the middle of a christmas lockdown and the pope spoke from inside the palace, the world has changed, and many people's faith has been shaken and coronavirus was very much at the heart of the pope's christmas

message. he called on people to care for and to offer generosity, to the victims of the pandemic. he also called on world leaders to co—operate, so that there should be access to vaccines, for all country, he said we cannot erect walls, perhaps a message to the outgoing donald trump administration there. interestingly he singled out among the victims women who had suffered from domestic violence during months of lockdown. he talked about how his thoughts were for families, who could not come together, and those forced to remain at home, so the pandemic very much at the centre of this or by —— urbi et 0rbi message. he called for peace in the world's hotspots, but this is a year in which the world as a whole has been fighting a way, and the pope's message was to people, to arm themselves with compassion.

message was to people, to arm themselves with compassion. chile's president has described the start of a national coronavirus immunisation programme as a moment of hope and excitement for the country. chile, mexico and costa rica have become the first countries in latin america to begin vaccination campaigns. argentina is also planning to start inoculations in the next few days. the bbc‘s tim allman has more. in chile, potential salvation comes from the skies. the first 10,000 of an ordered 30 million doses of the coronavirus of axing, arriving at this airport in santiago. the country's president was there to welcome them, as the precious cargo was moved onto a helicopter. translation: it's a day of much excitement, seeing this helicopter transporting hope, because the truth is that many people have worked a lot over this time to secure the vaccine. 0ur compatriots will have a secure, effective and timely vaccine. the first compatriot, a health worker called zulema riquelme. president pinera, there to witness

this important moment. in mexico, they queued up for theirjobs. doctors, nurses, members of the military. this country has had more than 120,000 covid fatalities, the fourth highest death toll in the world. so palpable was the excitement, the whole thing was shown live on television. argentina will begin its vaccination programme imminently. but they have sought help from russia rather than america or western europe, a decision that has led to a few raised eyebrows. translation: the first vaccines have arrived in the country, 300,000 doses of the sputnik vaccine. there was some scepticism, but as we always say, we do not want to get entangled in any type of discussion other than preserving the health of our people. another plane touching down, another batch of the vaccine arriving, this time in costa rica.

as the country's president put it, this may be the beginning of the end of this pandemic. tim allman, bbc news. india's prime minister, narendra modi, has announced around two—point—four billion dollars worth of benefits for farmers amid mounting pressure on his government to scrap controversial reforms. mr modi has today been addressing millions of farmers across the country virtually, accusing his political opposition for misleading them over contentious new laws that will loosen the rules around the sale, pricing and storage of farm items. 0ur south asia editor, anbarasan ethirajan is in delhi. those forced to remain at home, so the the government here of the prime minister has been trying to reach out to various sections of the highlighting the reforms that were passed in september this year, one of them has been inviting more foreign investment, private

investment in agriculture and second thing is they want to establish antiquated procedures like people are using some of the agents to sell their produce, which means farmers they have to pay money so these agents will be removed from the system and then the farmers are allowed to sell their produce for example from different states, now they have restrictions like a farmer from the south can sell to the north. these are the key points of the government'sing a rain reforms and that is what they are been trying to sell to the other farmers. 0n the other hand what the farmers are saying is that india is predominantly an agricultural nation, many of them are small landowners, so, the reform also benefit only big corporations and we don't have the power to take on these big corporations in setting these big corporations in setting the price, when did the market ever

give an advantage to poor farmers and the rest of the world. this is a classic case of drag lacing of markets and the farmer and they are up markets and the farmer and they are up against it, whereas the typical case of globalisation, developing countries problem. this christmas is, of course, one like no other, with many families unable to be together because of the global pandemic. so how have we adapted our plans? judith moritz has been finding out. for so many, covid means christmas behind closed doors. bowie gladwell was born during the pandemic. he has a heart condition and his grandparents are vulnerable. merry christmas! so even though rules mean the family could get together today, they have chosen to keep it virtual and open their presents via video call.

there was a point where we were thinking about having parents up on christmas day, but following the recent raise, you know, raising cases, and just the general uncertainty, we have decided to avoid it this year. how are you, raymond and 0lwen? 0k, thank you. happy christmas. coronavirus has changed christmas for church goers too. the congregation of st james evangelical church in carlisle met on zoom instead of in person, though the sense of community was no less heartfelt. at st mary's, near congleton in cheshire, the church is big and draughty enough for everyone to space out. congregants had to book a pew, one per household bubble, to ensure social distancing. well, i think it's wonderful. i think the place has been going for a thousand years now, so we couldn't let it down and miss a christmas, we had to find a way.

i think it is amazing this can be so safe to come and allow the older generation and younger generation to be part of each other. only the choir was allowed to sing. people have had to make special arrangements to make the church look beautiful, just everything's happened but in a different way. last christmas no—one could have imagined the way this year's festival would look or they would be praying for next year's celebrations to be back to normal. what a year it's been for captain sir tom moore, the former british army officer and centenarian, known for his achievements raising tens of millions of pounds for charity in the run—up to his 100th birthday during the covid—19 pandemic. john maguire has been to meet him and find out about his christmas plans.

it's been a year like no otherfor all of us. but for captain sir tom moore, 2020 has seen him catapulted from his back garden to worldwide adoration, and to a specially convened ceremony where he was knighted by her majesty the queen. december‘s always a time to look forward, but also back to boyhood christmases during the 1920s. you got up at six o'clock in the morning to see what father christmas had left overnight. when we were small boys, or small children, we didn't get a stocking, we got a pillowcase. you knew there'd be an orange at the bottom of it somewhere. but not a lump of coal? no! he laughs and later, as a young officer in the british army during the second world war. all the officers gave all the other ranks

their christmas lunch. we served them their christmas lunch. and that was a happy occasion, with a little a bit of relaxation and some drink, which hadn't been readily available for some time. but that was a very good day. one of the main objectives of the captain tom foundation is to tackle loneliness, which can be especially cruel at christmas. for people who don't have a family who can come and knock on the door, it must be a very lonely time. and, of course, how are they going to have a christmas lunch if there's only one of you? so i do hope that everyone will have more than one person to have the christmas lunch. but you would, of course, expect some of his famous optimism.

we've always had all the family around us, and we've all had a lovely christmas lunch with turkey and all the little bits that go with it. and that's always been a joy for the parents, and for the children. this year, of course, with things as they are, it can't be quite the same for everyone, but things will get better and next year we'll be all right. he's spending the festive season not walking, but hopefully relaxing, having been invited to barbados. i had a bucket list, and one of the items on that list was barbados. and this is going to come through. barbados has very kindly taken barbados off my bucket list. and what's next

on that — do we know? what's the next plan on your bucket list? the next one is on the route 66 across america with bentley. well, let's hope you get that one soon as well. so as he works his way down the list, let's hope captain sir tom gets his kicks in the new year. john maguire, bbc news, bedfordshire. finally, some good news in this most difficult of years — the first concert to be held inside notre dame cathedral in paris since it was severely damaged by a fire last year has been shown on tv in france. there was no audience and the socially—distanced singers wore hard hats and boiler suits because the cathedral is still a building site. as well as classical pieces they gave a heart warming rendition ofjingle bells. # oh, what fun it is to ride in a one—horse open sleigh. #jingle bells, jingle bells. # jingle all the way. # oh, what fun it is to ride

in a one—horse open. #jingling, jingling, jingling, jingling. # 0pen sleigh — hey! hello. well we have fairly quiet weather round today, we have had some sunshine, the best in england, this was the scene earlier to the south coast with a bit of high cloud in the sky. further north—west the cloud has been gathering somewhat, a bit of rain for western scotland, and the cloud is associated with an area of low pressure near iceland, there has already been named a storm beller, that will cause problems saturday night and on into sunday, more on that in a second, but, through this coming night a patch of frost for south—east england but otherwise it will turn cloudier, milder, a bit of rain, the ran rain at its heaviest. by the end of the night temperatures will be four to

eight degrees celsius for most of us. eight degrees celsius for most of us. tomorrow, then, it will be a wet day for western scotland, heavy rain for most of the day, could cause localised flooding, gusty winds strengthening through the day. a bit of cloud further south, a few scattered showers for england and wales, but it's a mild day nationwide, temperatures reaching as high as ten or 11 celsius. back to storm bella then, as we go through boxing day night, and on into sunday, we get this band of heavy rain pushing southwards with strong gusts of wind as well. the winds will be at their strongest across the south coast of england and wales, where we could see gusts of 70 or 80mph. these are potentially damaging disruptive gusts of wind, strong enough to bring down an odd tree or two. aside from the strong winds there will be a band of heavy rain that pushes southwards, that could cause localised flooding given that the ground is saturated and with have seen flooding, as the rain clears through, sunshine comes out. lots of shower in the north—west.

they will turn to snow, particularly over modest hill, as colder air works in, temperatures in scotland three orfour works in, temperatures in scotland three or four degrees celsius, similar there for northern ireland and the far north, but storm bella, thatis and the far north, but storm bella, that is the main focus, saturday night into sunday, it is likely to cause problem, damaging wind gusts on the way but also the potential for flooding, southern wales looks particularly vulnerable. now beyond that, into monday, storm bella slowly eases away but not before bringing a mixture of some rain, sleet and maybe snow, all the while staying windy in northern ireland. that is your latest weather. bye.

this is bbc news, the headlines... eu ambassadors get details of a post—brexit trade deal in a christmas day briefing led by michel barnier. a 3a—page summary of the deal has been published on the uk government's website. the queen will reflect on the hardships of the pandemic in her christmas speech later as she and prince philip break tradition by staying in windsor — they did not attend their usual church service and worshipped privately to avoid crowds, it is understood. pope francis gives his christmas day address — urging all nations to share covid—19 vaccines and calling for peace in war—torn regions. thousands of lorry drivers are spending christmas day in their cabs near dover as 800 military personnel continue to test stranded hauliers — transport secretary grant shapps said more than 10,000 tests had been done.